Till the End
by Mahone-chic-89
Summary: The battle for the Stanley Cup has never been this fierce... Fictional story based on the Washington Capitals hockey team...I'm gonna play off the fued between Ovechkin and Crosby but the story mainly centers around Mike Green
1. Prologe

PROLOGUE

"We can't let them win this," snarled a rather young-looking man as he skated alongside another slightly older man, "I won't let it happen."

The other man just smiled and nudged his friend encouragingly, "Oh come on, Crosby," he laughed lightly, "They'll never make it that far."

Crosby grunted under his breath and gave his friend a doubtful look.

"You sure about that?" he asked as he snatched up a puck with his stick, "Alex has that team all revved up. They already made it to the first round of the playoffs! And that Mike Green guy…he worries me. He's good…too good."

His friend sneered in disgust, "Green? He's a pushover. Don't worry about him, Sidney its Alex we have to worry about. But you know what they say, kill the head…"

"And the body will die," finished Crosby quietly as he skated slowly alongside his best friend.

"Exactly! So stop giving the Capitals so much credit. We've beaten them before so we'll just beat them again."

"That's the spirit, Malkin!" exclaimed a man wearing a white warm-up outfit as he skated out onto the ice, "Crosby that's enough of your negativity! Alright, now let's start with some warm-up drills, that is unless you want to whine some more?"

Crosby just sneered as Malkin turned to follow their warm-up coach to the other side of the rink. Crosby muttered under his breath as he skated behind them.

"I don't care what either of you say. The Capitals are a threat and they need to be taken care of. And the sooner…the better."


	2. Introduction

INTRO

"Mike get your head in the game!" shouted a man in a red jumpsuit.

Mike Green sighed and shook his head in an attempt to clear his jumbled thoughts. He glanced up just in time to see a puck flying in his direction from the other side of the rink. He dodged just in the nick of time. A small gust of air rushed past his face and the glass behind him gave a sharp snap as the puck made contact.

"Mike, you alright?" asked a rather tall man with a thick accent as he skated over to him, "You never miss a pass and mine nearly took off your head!"

"Um, yeah sorry Alex," he muttered in reply as he moved to skate around the taller hockey player, "Guess I'm just having an off day."

"An off day?" scoffed the man in the red jumpsuit as he skated over to them, "You can't afford to have an off day! Playoffs start tomorrow or had you forgotten? Get in the game Mike…now!"

Alex winced and shot Mike a sympathetic glance as he skated away. Something was definitely bothering his best friend and he could not put a finger on what it was. Last night the two had hit the town and drove around the streets of D.C. laughing it up and living the high life. Then he had been his usual cool and collected self. Today he seemed uptight, distracted, and looked almost fearful.

Mike slapped his stick on the ice in frustration and shook his head again. His mind was not in the right place and he needed to reorganize his thoughts as soon as possible. They were playing the Rangers tomorrow in the first game of the first round of playoffs and his team needed him.

Mike straightened up, squared his shoulders, then in a sudden, blinding move he whirled around and snatched up a puck with his stick. His eyes locked onto the goal and he made a bee-line for it. The Capitals goal-tender, Jose Theodore was not expecting the sudden attack. He caught sight of the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the oncoming attack. At the same time Mike's stick went up into the air and a split second later a sharp, splitting noise reverberated throughout the small arena. The puck whizzed right past the catching glove of Jose Theodore and slammed into the back of the net, knocking it out of place. Theodore was sent sprawling across the ice from his mad dash to stop the puck. He shook his head in bewilderment as he sat up. One half of Mike's stick was on the other side of the rink; the other broken half was still gripped firmly in his hands. Mike whirled around and skated swiftly to the box with a half-crazed glint in his eye.

Alex raised an eyebrow as he inspected the dislodged goal and he smiled to himself as Theodore recovered from the unexpected attack.

"What the heck was that?" he exclaimed, clearly not pleased with his failed attempt to stop the puck.

Alex just smiled broadly as he watched his best friend head into the locker room, "That…oh that was just Mike getting back into the game."


	3. The Fight Begins

**Thanks so much for all the reviews guys!!! I really appreciate all the feedback! **

CHAPTER 1: THE FIGHT BEGINS

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the first round of the NHL playoffs!"

The announcer's voice reverberated throughout the massive Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. The stands were overflowing with screaming fans wearing red as they cheered on their favorite team.

Meanwhile down on the ice, the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals were warming up before the first game of the series.

Jose Theodore was in the net skating back and forth to warm up his legs. He shoved excess ice away from the blue paint in front of the net and adjusted his helmet while the rest of the team skated around him.

"How ya feeling Green?" asked a young man with long, shaggy blonde hair.

Mike smirked at him and slapped his leg lightly with his stick as he skated past, nearly causing the younger player to fall.

"Pretty good Nick…I'm ready to send these Rangers back to New York!"

Nicolas Backstrom smiled at that and laughed, "That's the good old Mike Green I remember!"

Mike smirked slightly and skated off to grab a puck. He was feeling more like himself today. The initial pre-game jitters were finally leaving his system. He had so much pressure on him from the fans, the media, and the coaches that he had found it hard to cope with it all. Being the number one defenseman in the NHL had its perks but its drawbacks as well. He was expected to be on his "A" game all the time and especially in the playoffs. One bad night and he would hear about it for quite a long time.

"Hey look who came to play!" taunted a short hockey player from the New York Rangers side of the arena, "Its Greenie!"

Mike winced at the sound of Sean Avery's voice. He sighed and turned around to face the taunting Rangers player.

"What do you want, Avery?" he asked coolly as he skated up to him. He smirked to himself in satisfaction as he realized how much taller and more built he was than the scrawny Ranger.

"Oh nothing," smirked Avery, "Just glad to see you got your head on straight. Wouldn't want your team to lose just because you can't come out to play."

"Yeah I bet you'd be just heart-broken," sneered Green, "Now if you're done wasting my time, I'm going to go warm up. I'm sure I'll be seeing you later."

Avery sneered loudly, "Oh you can count on it Greenie!"

"Does he ever shut up?" asked Alexander Ovechkin as he skated alongside Mike.

Mike laughed and punched his friend lightly on the shoulder. He could always count on Alex to calm any situation down and make him forget about it.

"I was asking myself the same question," he replied with a light laugh.

"Yeah well don't let the shrimp get to you," advised Alex, "He likes getting under people's skin. That's how he operates...goads you into a fight, you get the penalty, and then his team gets the power play. It's underhanded but what more do you expect from someone like him?"

Just then the buzzer sounded and the players moved to get off the ice. The first game was about to begin…

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Alex Ovechkin moved to center ice to meet Avery for the faceoff. He squared his shoulders then leaned down, stick barely touching the ice, waiting for the puck to be dropped.

"You ready for this, Alex?" taunted Avery, "I bet your team gets eliminated right off the bat. I bet we win the first four games and you guys go crawling home."

"In case you didn't notice," snarled Alex, "You're in my town…this is my arena…and you, you're going down!"

Just then the puck dropped and Alex snatched it with his stick. A startled looking Avery moved quickly, trying to get the puck away from him. Alexander Semin came up behind Ovechkin and called out to him. Ovechkin dropped the puck and skated forward, crashing into Avery and causing him to sprawl wildly across the ice. Semin picked up the puck and darted between two Rangers players as he made a bee-line for the goal. Backstrom made his way to the net ahead of Semin. Semin passed the puck up and the second it touched Backstrom's stick he swung. The sharp crack echoed throughout the arena as the puck flew past the goal tender and slammed into the net.

Alex Ovechkin smiled as he skated past Avery, "Welcome to D.C."

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"Only three minutes in the third!" shouted the coach as Ovechkin and Green moved out onto the ice for the line change, "Let's make it count!"

Alex and Mike exchanged a triumphant look as they glanced at the scoreboard…4-0.

"Looks like the Rangers will be crawling home this time eh?" asked Alex loudly as Avery skated past them.

Avery sneered at him and muttered something under his breath as he made his way to center ice for the faceoff.

Mike Green skated over to meet him and gave him an amused smirk.

"See ya in New York," he said as the puck dropped.

Mike slid it back to Ovechkin as he skated past. Ovechkin dodged one Ranger after another with Mike Green skating hard behind him. As one of the larger Ranger defensemen loomed in front of Alex, he let the puck drop back and Mike picked it up just as Alex slammed into the Ranger. Mike danced around another defender and with a back-handed shot he sent the puck sprawling to the net. It slid in top-shelf and the crowd roared with delight.

Mike shouted in victory and jumped up, slamming himself into the boards along the edge of the rink. Alex skated over to him and grabbed him in a big bear-hug. Semin, Jurcina and Brashear joined them as they celebrated their now guaranteed victory.

Meanwhile Avery skated past one of his fellow Rangers and muttered darkly under his breath.

"This isn't happening again…next game those two are going down," he said as he glanced over at Alex and Mike, "And I mean _down_."


	4. Ding and Dong

**Thanks so much for all the reviews guys!! I really appreciate all the feedback.**

**A short note for all you Washington Capitals fans:**

**I know last night was heartbreaking to watch…but it's going to be okay! We have a very young, talented team that just needs more experience and maturity in the realm of NHL playoffs. Give it a couple years and I'm willing to bet that we will become the Detroit Red Wings of the East Coast! **

**Don't stop believing!!!**

Chapter 2: Ding and Dong

A loud knock echoed throughout the rather lavish penthouse. Mike groaned in complaint and pulled the covers over his head in protest.

"Who the heck is up at nine in the morning on a Saturday?" he moaned as the knocks gradually grew louder and louder.

After a couple minutes the knocks ceased. Mike sighed in relief and lowered the covers.

"Finally," he muttered as he rolled over and closed his eyes.

A creaking noise suddenly invaded Mike's silence. He froze for a moment when he realized what that noise meant…someone was inside his penthouse. He shot up in bed and scrambled to his closet. He grabbed one of his hockey sticks and slowly moved toward the front of the penthouse.

He tried to steady his panicked breathing as he neared the front door. Whirling forward he yelled as he raised the stick above his head. But there was nobody there. He stared at the open front door in surprise when suddenly somebody pushed him from behind. He cried out in shock and fear as he whirled around, stick raised and ready to strike whoever was behind him.

He looked down and saw a man bent over laughing hysterically and pointing up at him. Mike dropped the stick angrily and shoved the man over. He fell down and crumpled onto the floor in a shaking heap of laughter.

"Real cute Alex, real cute," mumbled Mike irritably, "I knew I should've never given you a key to my place."

Alex tried to control his laughter as he wiped his eyes and looked up at his best friend.

"Sorry Mike," he snickered, "Just wanted to come by and see if you were going to practice…considering its mandatory and all."

Mike gave him a surprised look, "What? Practice is mandatory today? But we won last night!"

Alex stood up and brushed himself off as he turned to face Mike.

"Yeah but Coach wants us to stay warmed up and ready to go for tomorrow's game."

Mike ran a hand through his tousled, dark brown hair and sighed.

"Fine, what time does it start?"

"In an hour," said Alex with amusement as he watched his friend's face distort with horror, "So yeah you may want to get moving…and put some clothes on would you?"

Mike glanced down and shrugged.

"What? I got boxers on."

"Still," said Alex with a smirk, "No one wants to see that."

Mike picked up his hockey stick and lunged at Alex. He laughed loudly as he dodged the attack and grabbed the stick out of Mike's hands.

"Now if you're done goofing off we gotta go," said Alex as he twirled Mike's stick.

"Fine," muttered Mike as he went into his bathroom, "Ten minutes."

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Alex and Mike burst into the locker room of the Capitals practice rink, Kettler Ice Center. Capitals captain Chris Clark looked up from tying his skates and smirked at the two frazzled hockey players.

"You two are running a bit behind aren't you?" he asked as he watched them scramble to put on their gear.

"Yeah…Mike wouldn't wake up," said Alex as he nudged his friend.

Mike glared at Alex through narrowed eyes as he grabbed his shoulder pads and started to put them on.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Okay whatever I don't want to know. But you two better hurry up. Coach will have your heads if you're late."

Just then they heard their coach's booming voice coming from the ice rink.

"Let's go boys! Out on the ice, now!"

"Oh we're screwed," said Mike as he reached for some more pads.

Chris just laughed as he left the locker room to join the rest of the team out on the ice.

"This is all your fault," grumbled Mike.

Alex laughed, "I wasn't the one who was still asleep."

"I never got the memo that practice was mandatory," retorted Mike, "And you could've been a little more kind about waking me up."

Alex just laughed as he grabbed his skates and sat down to put them on. Mike rolled his eyes as he sat next to him and began to tie up his skates.

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"Where the hell are Ovechkin and Green?" barked Coach Boudreau as he watched the rest of his team skate around the rink.

Chris Clark exchanged a glance with Nicklas Backstrom and the two players smirked.

"They still in the locker room?" asked Nicklas with a smile.

"They were when I left and I was the last one in there," replied Chris with a smile, "Boudreau is going to have their heads when they get out here."

Donald Brashear skated past them and laughed loudly, "Those two cause more problems than anyone else on this team!"

"Ain't that the truth," agreed Alexander Semin as he joined them, "Can't live with them…"

"…but can't win games without 'em," finished Brooks Laich as he snatched up a puck with his stick and chucked it at the goal.

Just then Alex and Mike scrambled out of the locker room and stumbled onto the ice. The rest of the team shook their heads and laughed at the sight.

"Hey Ding and Dong you two ready to join us now?" asked Coach Boudreau as they smiled sheepishly at the rest of the team.

"Um, yeah sorry Coach," muttered Mike.

"I'd say it won't happen again but knowing Mike it probably will," said Alex as he moved to dodge Mike's fist.

He laughed as he skated quickly away and grabbed a puck. He speed-skated toward the goal and let it rip. The shot echoed throughout the small practice rink and the puck slammed into the back of the net.

"Show-off!" called Mike with a laugh as he went to join the team in their warm up drills.

Despite the rough awakening, the day had a lot of promise. They won their first game last night against the Rangers and now had all day to work on their drills and prepare for tomorrow's game. So far things were looking up for the Washington Capitals young, talented team.

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"They won?" snarled Crosby as he skated past Malkin in the Penguins practice arena in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

"Yeah, I know," muttered Malkin, "I was hoping to see the Rangers take care of them early on so we didn't have to mess with them."

Crosby sneered angrily as he unleashed a powerful slapshot and watched as the puck tore through the net of the goal.

"Don't worry about it," said Malkin, trying to calm his best friend down, "It's just the beginning of the first round. The Rangers can pick it back up and take care of the Caps. Have a little faith Sidney."

Crosby smirked slightly as he punched his friend lightly on the shoulder.

"Yeah you're right. And besides, if they can't take care of the Caps…we can."


	5. Rallying the Troops

**Thanks so much for all the reviews!!! I'm so glad you guys seem to like this story! It's the only thing that's getting me through the offseason now that my Caps are out of the playoffs.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Rallying the Troops**

"Move your feet, Green!" shouted a rather irate Coach Boudreau from the bench.

Kyra flinched as she past the bench and walked up the stairs into her office at the Kettler Ice Center. She knew that Coach Boudreau was in a terrible mood after the results of the last three playoff games. For three games in a row the Washington Capitals had lost to the New York Rangers. If the Rangers won just one more game then the Capitals would be eliminated from the playoffs. They had to win three games in a row now if they even had a prayer of making it to the next round. The pressure was on and Boudreau was making sure his players felt it.

"Poor boys," murmured a young woman as she walked into Kyra's office.

Kyra's office in Kettler overlooked the arena. She absolutely loved being able to glance over in-between periods of paperwork to watch the boys practice. Today however it was painful to watch.

"I know," she replied quietly, "Coach isn't letting up on them anytime soon."

The other woman frowned slightly and brushed a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear.

"It's not really all that fair," she protested.

Kyra raised an eyebrow and looked up from behind a stack of papers.

"Um, Andria they lost the past three games. If they lose tomorrow night then it's over."

Andria sighed, "Yeah I know…I just can't stand watching them worked to death like this."

Kyra rolled her eyes in exasperation at her friend.

"Oh Andria, its hockey and they're hockey players…they can handle it."

"I know," she whined in reply, "It's just heartbreaking to watch. I don't want to see them lose this."

Kyra smirked, "Them or one of them in particular?"

Andria instantly turned red and whirled around on her friend. Kyra merely smiled smugly and leaned back in her black leather office chair.

"Don't give me that look," laughed Kyra as she pulled her dark hair up into a ponytail, "You know who I'm talking about."

Andria gaped in shock, "How'd…how'd you know?" she stammered.

Kyra laughed lightly, "It's slightly obvious you know."

"Oh don't say that!" exclaimed Andria in horror.

"Oh don't worry," said Kyra as she rolled her eyes at her exasperated friend, "It's just obvious to me because I know you. I've always been able to tell when you liked a guy. But this one…this one's different isn't he?"

Andria sighed and looked back out onto the rink, "Yeah…but he doesn't even know I exist."

A thoughtful look entered Kyra's eyes as she stood up and went to stand next to Andria.

"Yet," she replied as she watched the players circling the rink, "That can always change you know. Come on…let's go watch them practice."

Andria gave Kyra a confused look.

"What do you mean? We can watch them from here."

Kyra shook her head and sighed loudly, "But he won't know you're watching if we stay up here. However, if we go down there…"

Andria's eyes sparkled with understanding.

"Okay! Let's go!"

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Simeon Varlamov stretched out on the ice as he adjusted his large goalie helmet. He had been called up last minute to replace Jose Theodore after the three game losing streak. It was a last ditch effort by Coach Boudreau to save the Capitals from losing horribly to the Rangers.

"Hey there Varly," said Nicklas Backstrom as he skated over to him, "Didn't get to formally introduce myself earlier. Name's Nick."

Simeon Varlamov glanced up at him and stood up to shake his hand.

"Good to meet you," he replied with a smile, "I hope I can help you guys out."

"We need it," muttered Brashear as he skated past them.

"If you three are done gossiping we have work to do!" barked Boudreau, "Let's go!"

Nicklas winced a bit as he moved away from Varly.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said as he started to skate away, "Talk to you later, man!"

Varly waved his goalie stick at him as he turned to head over to the net.

"Okay let's work on our basic passing and shooting drills!" shouted Boudreau, "Ovechkin, Green you two start us off!"

Ovechkin and Green skated to the far end of the rink. Alex grabbed a puck with his stick and turned around to speed skate toward the goal. Green took up position on the opposite side of him and skated quickly to keep pace with Alex. With one eye trained on his friend and the other on the goal ahead of him, Mike prepared to receive Alex's pass. Alex waited until they were mere feet away from the goal before he turned slightly and unleashed one of his trade mark slapshots. Mike moved quickly and intercepted the pass. Moving deftly he slid the puck ahead and tensed as he raised his stick. The familiar sharp crack echoed throughout the small arena as the puck sailed toward the next. Out of nowhere the catching glove of Varly shot up and snatched the puck out of the air.

A chorus of shocked gasps echoed in the building as the other players looked at each other in shock. Alex and Mike exchanged surprised looks as they skated back over to Varlamov.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed Alex, "Wow!"

"I've never seen a save quite like that!" shouted Mike as he bumped helmets with the new, young goalie, "You got talent kid!"

Varly smiled sheepishly and shrugged off the praise.

"Nah it was a lucky save," he said humbly as he adjusted his helmet and prepared for the next round of drills.

"Yeah Varly!" shouted a female voice from up in the stands.

"Way to go Mike!" exclaimed another female voice.

The players looked up in surprise and saw two young women sitting in the stands clapping and cheering them on.

"Who's that?" asked Brashear.

"Hey! I know that one girl," said Backstrom, "She's got that office right over the rink."

"Kyra!" shouted Ovechkin as he waved his stick up at her.

Kyra laughed and waved back, "Hey Alex!"

"You know her?" asked Semin as he nudged his friend and raised an eyebrow at him.

Alex laughed, "Yeah…we've talked before. I usually run into her in the mornings. We get here at about the same time every day."

"Get it Alex," encouraged Mike as he skated over to him, "She's cute. Who's her friend?"

"Oh that's her best friend, Andria," replied Alex, "They work together."

"Is she single?" asked Backstrom as he glanced up at the girls in the stands.

"Hey now," said Mike in a warning tone, "I saw her first."

"I'll fight you for her!" exclaimed Backstrom as a playful, dangerous light flickered in his eyes.

Mike smirked as he tensed to lunge at Nicklas.

"You're on!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Boudreau, "Unless you feel like skating around here all day I suggest you stop flirting with the women and start practicing…now!"

But Mike was already lunging towards Nicklas. He laughed as he side-stepped in an effort to avoid the attack. They both ran into each other and fell to the ice laughing as Mike fake-punched Nicklas several times. After a couple minutes Mike stood up and Nicklas stayed sprawled on the ice pretending to be dead. The players roared with laughter as he started twitching convulsively.

"Hey!" screamed Boudreau, face red with anger.

Nicklas scrambled back to his feet and grabbed his stick.

"Uh, sorry Coach won't happen again," he said quickly as he skated away to join Federov as they prepared to begin the next round of drills.

Kyra and Andria were laughing hysterically in the stands.

"We're going to get them in so much trouble!" exclaimed Andria fearfully.

"Oh they're fine," laughed Kyra, "They're big boys. And did you hear that? Looks like Mike was willing to fight for you!"

Andria blushed and shook her head, "No they were just playing around."

"Yeah okay, sure," said Kyra as they watched Federov and Backstrom race toward the net, "Well at least he knows you exist now!"

Andria sighed, "Yeah I guess. Least you have Alex."

Kyra's eyes widened at that as she turned her head sharply to look at her friend.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh please," said Andria in exasperation, "Ovechkin adores you."

"What?" asked Kyra, thoroughly confused, "I barely know him! We just say hi when we pass each other in the mornings."

"Well he seemed awful excited to see you up here for one, and second of all he keeps glancing up here at you every five seconds."

Kyra smiled slightly at that and turned away.

"Ha!" exclaimed Andria, "I knew it! You like Alexander Ovechkin!"

"Shhh!" said Kyra as she covered her friend's mouth, "Not so loud!"

Andria's eyes glittered happily as she looked at her friend.

"So you get Alex…and I get Mike. Sounds like a plan to me!"

The girls laughed as Varlamov made yet another save.

"Yeah Varlamov!" exclaimed Koslov as he skated past, "I like the new kid!"

"Yeah you and me both," agreed Coach Boudreau, "Let's just hope it's enough to get us through tomorrow night's game."

"Aw it will be Coach," assured Captain Chris Clark as he skated over to him, "I'll rally the troops in the locker room and we'll be good to go. We can't let the Rangers beat us like this. We're taking this game into our own hands…"


	6. Now or Never

**Chapter 4: Now or Never**

"Alright boys," said team captain Chris Clark as the team suited up in the locker room, "Tonight's a big night as you know. Rangers are winning this series three to one. If they win just one more game we're done. But if we can pull this off…if we win the next three games then we move on. So let's get series, buckle down, and get ready to rock these guys out of our rink!"

A couple cheers answered Clark's rallying speech. The majority of the team however looked rather crestfallen and worried.

"What?" demanded Chris as he glanced around at his team, "What's with the looks?"

Nicklas Backstrom shook his head slightly, "Chris I don't see how we can do it. I mean…three games in a row? They just _beat_ us three games in a row."

Several murmurs of agreement came from the team as they finished suiting up for the game.

"Is that how you really feel?" demanded Chris angrily as he shot a hard stare at his team.

No one answered.

"So you're just going to give up?" asked Chris in anger and disappointment, "Just like that…it's over. Is that what you're telling me?"

After a prolonged, awkward silence, Alex stood up.

"I'm not giving up," he announced confidently, "It's not that bad guys…it could always be worse."

"And how's that?" sneered Brashear as he laced up his skates.

"Well it could be three to zero," muttered Mike in reply.

Alexander Semin laughed a little at that and nodded, "Hey he's right…it could be worse!"

"See?" said Ovechkin as he grabbed his stick, "Now are we going to sit in here and mope and whine and cry about how bad this is or are we going to go out there and give it our best shot? It's now or never guys…let's do this!"

Green, Semin, Backstrom, Clark, and the new goalie, Varlamov, all whooped and hollered in agreement as they leapt up to follow Alex out of the locker room and out onto the rink. The rest of the team followed them, caught up in Alex's words as hope began to soar in their hearts. This wasn't over yet, not in the least.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" said a booming voice over the loud, pulsing music in the Verizon Center, "Your Washington Capitals!"

The crowd roared in excitement as the team skated out onto the ice. The ice glowed red from the stage lights that shown down on them and the place seemed to have its own pulse as the music and cheers filled the arena.

"We got this!" shouted Mike as the team made their way to the bench for the start of the game, "We got this guys!"

"Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Green, and Poti I want you all out first," said Coach Boudreau, "Let's do this boys!"

With a few whoops of agreement the five chosen players skated out onto the ice. Alex Ovechkin made his way to center ice for the faceoff. Sean Avery of the New York Rangers skated over to meet him there.

"Sad this will be your last game, Alex?" he sneered as the referee skated over to them and prepared to drop the puck.

Alex just laughed at the cocky ranger as he readied himself for the start of the game.

The puck dropped and Alex swiped it quickly away from Avery. He skated past him and moved forward at a lightning pace. Semin and Backstrom followed him as fast as they could to provide back up. Alex skated deftly in-between the Ranger's defense and skated straight for the goal. The flustered Rangers whirled around to try and catch up to him but Semin and Backstrom reached them before they could make a move against Ovechkin. With a quick backhanded shot, Alex sent the puck racing toward the net and just past the catching glove of the Rangers' goalie.

The buzzer sounded and the crowd erupted in a deafening roar as Semin, Backstrom, Green, and Poti all skated over and tackled Alex excitedly.

Up in the stands right behind the Capitals bench Kyra and Andria cheered and screamed in excitement.

"Oh my gosh!" shouted Andria over the crowd, "That was crazy!"

"I know!" laughed Kyra, "First thirty seconds of the game and we're already winning! Woo hoo!"

The two girls laughed as they watched the guys celebrating together out on the ice.

Sean Avery slammed his stick down on the ice in anger. He cursed under his breath as he made his way back to his own bench.

Alexander Ovechkin had put the spark back into his team. They now had the hope and the confidence they needed to see this through.

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It was the last thirty seconds of the third period and the Capitals were leading four to two against the Rangers.

The boys were laughing it up on the bench and encouraging each other as they prepared to finish up this game.

"You guys ready for this?" asked Alex with a laugh as he skated out onto the ice.

"Heck yes I am!" shouted Green with enthusiasm as he lightly punched his best friend in the shoulder, "Are we still doing the play we talked about?"

Alex smirked, "Of course!"

The puck dropped and Alex quickly hit it back to Mike Green. Mike skated forward suddenly, surprising one of the Rangers' defensemen. Semin appeared on the other side of Mike and he passed the puck up to him. Semin shot it across to Backstrom who unleashed a powerful slapshot in the direction of the goal. Mike and Alex seemed to materialize in front of the other team's net as the puck raced toward them. Alex shoved a defenseman out of the way as Mike intercepted the pass and whirled around, sending the puck right between the goalie's legs and into the net.

The crowd went wild as the buzzer went off yet again. The team went wild and quickly cleared the bench to join their friends on the ice. They gathered together in a massive bear hug as they shouted and cheered in victory.

One game down…two to go…

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"What the hell was that?" snarled a very angry voice.

Sean Avery winced slightly as he paced in his hotel room.

"Look, Crosby I'm sorry," he said hurriedly, "It's not like I wanted them to win."

"You said that you'd finish them tonight!" shouted Sidney Crosby in a rage, "Losing five to two isn't finishing anything!"

"Sid, I promise we won't let them win this round," assured a very nervous and shaky Sean Avery, "I got your back Sid you know that."

"Do I? Because I'm not so sure that's the case."

"Sid come on man," begged Avery, "We've been friends a long time. You know I'm doing my best here."

Crosby sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, cell phone pressed to his ear, as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair. His blue eyes were sparking with anger but they softened slightly as he replied.

"Yeah I know, Sean," he said quietly, "You are my friend…but you promised me that you'd take care of the Capitals. You know I can't handle losing to them. That would be beyond embarrassing."

"Why are you so sold on the Capitals being knocked out of the playoffs anyway?" asked Avery, "They're just as good as any other team out there."

"I have my reasons," replied Crosby tersely, "Just end this alright?"

"Yeah…sure Sid. I'll take care of it."

Crosby hung up on Avery and lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair as he sighed slowly. If the Rangers couldn't end this on their own then he would have to take the matter into his own hands. And if he had to take it into his own hands…it wasn't going to end well for two very valuable Capitals.

**Thanks so much for all the reviews guys!!! I really really really appreciate it!!!! : ) **


	7. Practice Makes Perfect

**Thanks so much for all the reviews!! I really appreciate them all! **

**Practice Makes Perfect**

Kyra sat in her office glancing through some paperwork. The team had requested some new equipment and she had to fill out all the paperwork and send in the order by that afternoon. She smiled to herself as she remembered how lucky she really was to have this job…

_Kyra was sitting in the stands at Kettler arena with a rather distraught look on her face. Her company had just gone under due to the economy and she was left without a job. She had been feeling really stressed lately and decided to stop by the Capitals practice arena to watch her favorite hockey team for awhile and ease her frayed nerves. After the practice was over Kyra stood up to leave. Just as she was about to walk out the door, she saw a flyer taped to the glass. It said: "Personal assistant needed. Must have good experience with computers and finances. Call to apply." Kyra felt her heart jump up in excitement. This was her chance. This could be her big break! Excitedly she snatched the flyer off the door and left the arena, pulling her cell phone out of her purse…_

Just then a loud crack interrupted her reverie. Jumping in surprise Kyra whirled around in her chair and looked out onto the arena. She smiled slightly when she saw Alex skating around the rink. He grabbed a puck and shot it at the goal. He glanced up in the direction of her office and smiled when he saw her watching him. He gave her a slight wave as he skated off to grab another puck.

Kyra felt herself blush slightly in embarrassment as she returned the wave. She wondered what he was doing here. It was the middle of the day and practice was not until tomorrow morning. Kyra sighed and then turned back to her desk. She had work to do and could not let Alexander Ovechkin distract her from it.

Alex whirled around and began to dodge his imaginary opponents as he raced toward the goal. Unleashing one of his powerful trademark slapshots, he watched as the puck sailed into the net. He smiled in satisfaction as he turned to glance back up at Kyra's office. She had turned back to her desk and was filling out some paperwork. He smirked slightly as he glanced around to make sure no one else was watching. He picked up a puck and glanced back up at her office with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Kyra sighed to herself as she moved to the next piece of paperwork that needed to be filled out. Just a few more to work through and she would be done. Suddenly something slammed into the glass wall of her office. Kyra screamed in surprise as she jumped up out of her chair. She whirled around trying to figure out what had hit the glass. She looked out onto the arena and saw Alex sitting down on the ice and laughing hysterically. Kyra shook her head in disbelief as she stomped out of her office. She walked down the stairs at a brisk pace and walked out onto the ice.

"Alexander Ovechkin I'll have your head!" she shouted as she made her way over to him.

Alex stood up and laughed as he watched her approach him quickly, but cautiously on the ice.

Suddenly Kyra felt her feet slip out from under her. At the same instant a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back up before she could hit the ice. Alex smirked at her as she regained her composure. Kyra glared at him and pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"What do you think you are doing?" she demanded as Alex watched her with amusement flickering in his blue gaze.

"Having a little fun," he replied as he started to skate circles around her.

Kyra crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. It was getting harder to keep up her angry act.

"Well Mr. Ovechkin…ow!"

Kyra jumped in shock as Alex slapped her butt with his stick. He laughed as he skated quickly out of her striking distance.

"You have some nerve there Alex!" exclaimed Kyra.

Alex just laughed at her, "Oh whatever…you liked it."

Kyra opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out. Alex raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. Kyra felt herself turn deep red as he skated past her.

"Why don't you go put on some skates?" he asked, "I can show you a few things."

Kyra narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before she turned to make her way off of the ice.

Alex just smiled as he watched her walk away. He snatched up a puck and continued to practice as he waited for her to return.

A few minutes later Kyra skated out onto the ice, stick in hand.

"Okay Mr. Know-it-all," she said with a smirk, "Show me what you got."

Alex flashed her one of his charming smiles as he skated past her and turned sharply to stop just behind her. He grabbed her around the waist to steady himself before he reached out and grabbed her hands. Kyra swallowed nervously as he showed her exactly how to hold a hockey stick.

"There you go," he murmured into her ear as he adjusted her grip, "Just like that…now do you want to learn how to shoot like me?"

Kyra laughed at that as Alex skated over to the bench to grab a puck.

"Shoot like you?" she asked skeptically, "Yeah I doubt I could ever shoot like you can."

Alex tossed her the puck and shrugged, "Hey you never know. And besides I heard that you used to play a mean game of hockey back in the day."

Kyra shot him a surprised look, "What? Who told you that?"

Alex smirked, "I have my sources. Now come on, show me what you got."

Kyra sighed and snatched up the puck with her stick. She skated quickly toward the goal. As she drew close to it she lifted her stick into the air. Her back foot came up off the ice as the stick came flying back down and connected with the puck. It soared through the air and slammed into the back of the net with such force that it knocked the goal from its posts.

Alex's eyes grew wide with surprise as he watched her skate back over to him, puck in hand. She tossed it to him and gave him a rather smug look.

"There you go," she smirked, "Your turn."

Alex smiled at her and shook his head, "That was amazing, Kyra."

Kyra beamed at his praise as he turned to skate toward the goal. For the next few minutes they took turns practicing their shots and gave each other pointers.

"How about a game of one on one?" suggested Alex with an excited gleam in his eyes.

Kyra smirked, "Yeah sure, why not?"

The two skated over to the center of the rink for a faceoff. Alex laid the puck down at center ice and leaned down, stick ready. Kyra followed his lead and leaned down as well. They were mere centimeters from each other. Alex's blue eyes gleamed with amusement when he noticed that Kyra was blushing again.

"You ready for this?" he asked her with a confident smile.

"I don't think you know what you're in for Mr. Ovechkin," replied Kyra with a confident smile of her own.

"Bring it on," retorted Alex, "On my count…one…two…three!"

The two scrambled on the ice for the puck. Alex had it at first but Kyra snatched it away from him and made her way toward the goal. Alex was hard on her heels as she raced ahead of him along the edge of the rink. Suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself pushed up against the boards. Alex had one hand on the glass on either side of her. Kyra felt her pulse race as she glanced up at him.

"That's two minutes for holding," she said quietly.

Alex smiled slightly as he bent down closer to her face.

"It's worth the penalty," he murmured as he leaned in closer.

Kyra thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest as his lips brushed against hers. Sighing she pushed up slightly to deepen the kiss. He gasped in surprise as she returned the kiss.

"What the heck is goin' on in here!" exclaimed Mike Green as he entered the arena.

Alex moved quickly to the side and whirled around.

"Mike!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey Mike," said Kyra feeling utterly embarrassed, "Oh um, we were just…"

She stopped talking when she saw who was walking in with Mike. It was Andria. The two were walking hand in hand. Kyra gaped in shock as she looked at her friend. Andria smiled broadly and nodded, answering Kyra's unspoken question. Kyra smiled back at her friend and shook her head in disbelief.

"No you don't have to explain anything to me," said Mike as he gave his best friend a knowing wink, "I completely understand. Hey can we join your game? It could be girls against guys if you wanted?"

"Oh yeah like that would be fair!" exclaimed Andria.

"She's right," replied Ovechkin, "Okay well Andria you can be on my team and Mike and Kyra can be on the other team."

"Works for me!" said Mike as he disappeared into the locker room to grab his skates with Andria following close behind him.

After the two disappeared Alex turned back to Kyra. She smiled sheepishly at him as he pinned her against the boards again. He leaned down until they were almost touching each other.

"Now…where did we leave off?"

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Two days later…

Sidney Crosby paced across his hotel room and ran his hands through his dark hair in frustration. He sighed as he sat down on the edge of his bed and picked up the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Sean what the hell was that last night?" exclaimed Crosby, voice teetering on full-blown rage.

"Look…Sid I'm sorry man we tried!" protested Sean Avery, trying to defend himself, "They played really well. Ovechkin had a hat trick. That kid was on fire we couldn't stop him!"

Crosby clenched his teeth and fought the urge to throw the phone across the room.

"You do realize that if they win this next game that your team is out of the playoffs right?" he replied tersely, "Not to mention the fact that my team will have to play the Capitals in the next round."

"Yeah I know Sid," said Avery quietly, "I'm sorry man we're trying. Trust me we don't want this to end for us either. We don't want them to win just as much as you don't."

"Somehow I doubt that," muttered Crosby darkly, "Just get the job done Sean."

"Okay…I'll try."

Crosby slammed the phone down and stood up slowly. He glanced out the window of his hotel room and looked out over the city. There had to be some way to stop the Capitals. He couldn't let them beat his team. That would be utter embarrassment for the Penguins. He sneered at the thought as he started to pace again. Something had to be done…and it had to be done soon…


	8. UPDATE

If you were reading this story please go to my other story: AGAINST ALL ODDS. It's following a similar plot


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